Rockman EXE: Prophecy
by Hardy Har Har
Summary: Almost a year after Megaman's attack, Rockman and crew stumble upon a strange story which rocks the Net to its very core!
1. History Lessons

ROCKMAN EXE: Prophecy  
  
A note to those of you who may not have already read my previous work, ROCKMAN vs. MEGAMAN: DO SO. Many of the events in that story will have an effect on this one as it is a SEQUEL. As far as continuity is concerned, this story takes place after the Black Earth incident (the 4th Megaman Battle Network Game), but I'll try not to spoil too much.  
  
Two months after Netto Hikari saved the world from the Meteor, Red Sun, Rockman, Roll and Gutsman were happily wandering the Net, talking about things Navis sometimes talk about in their free time.  
  
"Roll, I'm telling you, Batman would win," Rockman insisted.  
  
"No, Superman would! He's got all sorts of powers and he's the man of STEEL! Batman is just Bruce Wayne with a whole bunch of toys," Roll huffed.  
  
"Which is why he'd win, because he could probably BUY a chunk of kryptonite from Lex Luthor or something," Rockman nodded.  
  
"But if Bruce was caught unawares, without all his gadgets, he'd go down for sure," Roll shrugged. "Superman wins, hands down."  
  
"Bruce is resourceful. He'd find a way," Gutsman added.  
  
"Precisely."  
  
Roll growled. "Men. You always stick together."  
  
They continued on in this fashion for a while until Rockman spotted something odd. "Hey," he said, interrupting another argument he'd been losing with Roll, "What's that?" He pointed to an oddly shaped structure.  
  
"Uh, I think it's some kind of Net museum. They just opened it. I got an E- Mail about it a while ago," Gutsman shrugged.  
  
"What's it for?" Roll asked.  
  
"I think it shows what came before the Net as we know it today. The time period from when computers first became mainstream to a little more than five years ago," Gutsman said, sounding unusually well informed.  
  
"Cool," Rockman said. "I wonder if my grandfather's in there." Rockman's grandfather had been the original inventor of the PeT, which allowed humans and Navis to interact with each other.  
  
Roll laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if your whole family wasn't in there! You've only saved the entire world three times now."  
  
"Er, six, Roll," Rockman corrected her.  
  
"Yeah. There was the World 3's first try, then the crazy Zero Virus thing, then Gospel, and then World 3's attempted comeback with Alpha, and then he had to deal with the Red Sun Meteor . . ." Gutsman said, counting on fingers.  
  
"That's only five," Roll said.  
  
"There was also the time we had to stop Megaman . . ." Rockman said in a voice barely above a whisper. They all went silent for a moment there. That battle had been long, hard, and horrible, and had a taxing effect on Rockman, especially during the Red Sun Meteor incident, where his very soul wavered in between light and dark. Rockman had been in so much anguish about the possibility that he could become another Megaman if he went totally dark that he'd sworn off of using the powerful dark battlechips ever again.  
  
"Okay, six. The point is, you're a hero," Roll said, trying to cheer her blue friend up. "So let's go see what's in there, shall we?"  
  
Rockman put a smile on his face and nodded. "Okay. Let's go!"  
  
"Want to make it a date, Roll-chan?" Gutsman asked, winking at her.  
  
Roll smiled and laughed a bit, smacking Gutsman upside the forehead with one of her head ribbon things. "Shut up Gutsy-kun."  
  
And so the three headed off into the new museum, which was almost completely empty as it had only recently opened.  
  
Blues looked up from the message from the Official headquarters he had received as the three friends trotted into the place of history. They didn't seem to notice the red Navi, and that suited him just fine. He preferred to mull over his own thoughts alone. He returned to reading the message.  
  
"Attention Official netbattlers: It has come to our attention that there may be dangerous elements inside the new Net museum. These elements may seem benign at first, but do not underestimate the power of some of the objects found in that museum. There is one item in particular which we cannot disclose in this medium which has a significant meaning to many of the researchers here at Official HQ. Any and all attacks against the museum, be they from a virus or Navi, is to be treated with the highest priority and ended as soon as possible until the nature of such elements can be determined."  
  
Blues sighed. Guard duty. He disliked it intensely, but if Official HQ was concerned enough to sent a mail about it on the most secure of channels (only the elite had received them, which left Netoo out of the loop), something had them spooked. Spooked enough to demand that Blues keep a constant vigilance on the museum when not busy with other Official business. It really cut into the visored Navi's free time.  
  
He sighed again and watched Rockman, Roll, and Gutsman wander through the halls, taking in the various sights. He wondered to himself what might happen next, and how it would involve Rockman, because it ALWAYS seemed to . . . 


	2. The future, courtesy of the past

ROCKMAN EXE: Prophecy  
  
Rcokman stared at the mural before him. "Whoa," was the only thing his mind could formulate to describe it. Roll was, for the first time in a long time, rendered speechless, and Gutsman had lost interest and gone back to his homepage over an hour ago.  
  
"Whoa," Rockman managed again. A normal Navi came up beside him.  
  
"Do you like it?" the green Navi asked.  
  
"It's huge. What is it?"  
  
"Er . . . we're not sure. It's simply titled 'Prophecy.' It's a very ancient image file from way back when all there was were chat rooms and message boards. It's in .bmp format, which hasn't been used since 2005, so it is a very rare and valuable image."  
  
"Okay, I guessed that," Rockman said. "But what IS it? What does it show?"  
  
"Um . . . well, we don't know. I guess you can try and figure it out for yourself. Like a mystery," the Navi laughed and walked away to talk to another group that was looking at a collection of virus pieces.  
  
Rockman looked back at the picture. It was predominantly brownish-gray, giving it the look of old hieroglyphics from Egypt. To the far left was a large blank space, followed by a bunch of wavy lines and a circle a little after that. The wavy lines separated the circle from the empty space. To the right of the circle, there was a man holding a square up over his head, and even further right, there was a triangle with a square at the top. Inside the triangle was a drawing of a man with a spear. To the right of that, there were four men, one stacked on top of each other. Each man had a different feature. One had a large head, while another had a large arm. Another man had what looked like wings, while the last had a circle around him. To their right were three more figures, stacked similarly, but they all looked identical with one minor exception. This was the only part of the picture that had any amount of varying color, as the top man here was white, while the middle was gray, and the bottom was black.  
  
Beneath all of this, there was an inscription in a language Rockman couldn't understand, but translated parts had been provided to add to the mystique. It read: "When light and darkness spring from the same source, the world will quake with the awakening of the four guardians. Each Guardian will test these three beings of power, and so shall give them their blessing to receive the ultimate power, and halt the wave as one."  
  
"Deep," Rockman breathed.  
  
Roll finally spoke. "What do you suppose it means?"  
  
"I don't know," Rockman shrugged. "Probably some crazy old man's doomsday visions. Who knows? Or cares?"  
  
"I wouldn't just brush it off, Rockman," a voice behind the pair caused the two of them to turn. There, leaning against an exhibit of an old firewall assembly, was Blues.  
  
"Hi Blues," Rockman smiled, almost relieved to see the red Navi. "What's up?"  
  
"Not much," Blues shrugged as he strolled toward Rockman and Roll, "I was just passing by when I saw the two of you. On a date or something?"  
  
Both Roll and Rockman blushed. "Hey, hey, now," Rockman said. "Just because YOU can't find a girl Navi to keep you company doesn't mean you have to be mean to those of us who can," he grinned.  
  
Roll very calmly kicked Rockman in the shin, who then not-so-calmly swore out loud and held said shin as Roll gave Blues a serious look. "What did you mean when you said that, Blues?"  
  
Blues cast a conspiratorial glance to his left and right, and then spoke. "From what I know, that whole prophecy was posted on the internet by a man whose wife had died due to cancer."  
  
"Cancer?" Roll asked, tilting her head. "That was eliminated in 2011, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but this was 2003, I think," Blues shrugged. "Anyway, apparently the whole story was his wife's last work. She was a poet and she wrote the whole thing down only two hours before she died and told her husband to spread the story. He posted it on the internet, hoping that would work, and then he died to. Apparently, he got run over by a freight train."  
  
"So he never really got the story spread?" Rockman asked, still rubbing his shin.  
  
"Not really. But now it's here, for all to see," Blues sighed. Then he gave Rockman a serious look. "If the past year has taught me anything, it's to listen to prophecies. You may think it's foolish, but lately, you've been the center of some very strange stuff, so I wouldn't be surprised if this involved you in some way. Be on your guard."  
  
Rockman sighed and hung his head. "You're so freakin' depressing, Blues. I think you talk to Forte too much."  
  
"Stow it," Blues said. He turned to walk away, and then shot back over his shoulder, "Enjoy your date, you two. Oh, and Roll? If he gives you any trouble or doesn't treat you right, just remember there's always a REAL guy waiting in the wings for you," he smirked.  
  
"What, Glyde?" Roll said innocently.  
  
"Ouch," Blues winced. "Touché." He chuckled a bit and walked away, leaving Roll and Rockman to their own thoughts.  
  
Meanwhile, deep in a space that didn't reflect the normal laws of time or physics,, a much humbler Serenade than last time meditated. Ever since his defeat at the hands of Rockman, he had become even more recluse than normal, if that had been possible. But now, something stirred within him.  
  
Serenade looked out into space, and sighed.  
  
"And so it comes to pass," he heard a voice say, "that MY time has come at last."  
  
"I know," Serenade said. He turned to look at the golden Navi behind him. "Are you sure, brother? We are timeless, true, and I know you are bored, but does it have to be . . . HIM?"  
  
"You're just mad because he beat you," the golden Navi chuckled.  
  
"On a fluke, nothing more," Serenade growled. "He has more blind luck on his side than actual power, and yet you are already so willing to believe he is the one the prophecy speaks of?"  
  
"ONE of them, yes." Serenade's brother said. "Remember, the prophecy says that there are three. Light, Dark, and Gray. I believe he is the gray."  
  
"But the Light and Dark must spring from the same source as the Gray. It cannot be him! There is only one of him."  
  
"Two. I have no doubt you remember his power-crazed alter-ego?"  
  
"That . . . thing is still alive?" Serenade gasped. "I thought they had destroyed him!" It was that monster's fault Serenade had lost to Rockman, since it was only after that battle that Serenades twin shields had become visible, let alone pink and sparkly.  
  
"They drove him back."  
  
"That still leaves the Light. How do you suppose THAT will happen?" Serenade snorted.  
  
The golden Navi gave a knowing nod that sent a chill up Serenade's back. "Trust me. It will. Prophecies never lie."  
  
"Very well," Serenade sighed, giving in, "do what you wish."  
  
"Like I needed YOUR permission, little brother."  
  
"Mom would have given you such a pinch for talking like that," Serenade frowned.  
  
The golden Navi laughed. "Yeah well, she isn't here, and neither is father. Oh well. I'm off, little bro. Try not to squeeze the stuffing out of your teddy bear while I'm gone." With that, the golden Navi vanished in a bright flash of light. Serenade sat down, picking up something from the ground.  
  
"Meanie," he frumped, hugging his teddy bear. 


	3. Armageddon's herald

ROCKMAN EXE: Prophecy  
  
Deep in the net, in the shattered remains of the World 3's server, a single eye snapped open. A single, dull grey hand reached out of the shadows and pulled the figure into the last vestiges of light that reached the now dead server. The eye spun wildly in its socket, gazing about at the ruined data that surrounded it. The other eye was ruined; destroyed by Forte's Earth Breaker attack. An attack that had been coped and adapted.  
  
Megaman allowed himself a chuckle. He actually liked being here, since it almost felt like home. He'd spent too much time in the company of Laserman during the Red Sun Meteor incident, and had helped the scheming Navi out by playing the role of 'Rockman's Dark Soul.' True, Megaman had not been at full strength at the time, and he had to wear a completely black covering to hide his real identity, but it had been fun playing head games with the little blue bastard, anyway.  
  
Speaking of that stupid black disguise, not all of it had worn off. Megaman still glowed a dull green from the power his body held inside of it. He had absorbed data from almost every Navi in existence with his 'Get Ability' program, and had adapted several of the attacks together. Megaman could feel the power flowing through him, even though many parts of him was still covered with the last remnants of his disguise. His hand, for example, had slowly gone from pitch black to the dull gray it was now, although bits of his green, glowing skin poked through at some of the finger joints, giving his hand a segmented, robotic appearance. He rather liked the effect, and made a mental note to touch up his paint job next time he began terrorizing the Net.  
  
And he really did intend to return. There were still people to terrorize, souls to devour, and Rockmans to kill. Megaman had decided to find a way to steal back Saito.bat from his true blue counterpart, and had stolen and adapted the very program Laserman had used to extract Rockman's 'Dark Soul.' Megaman chuckled even more as he recalled the horrified look on Laserman's face as Megaman tore the program from the near-dead Navi.  
  
He approached a wall of rubble that blocked his path. This was perfect for practicing his comeback. He grinned and shoved a hand inside the dead data, tearing the wreckage in half very slowly and grinning evilly through the gap. He even had a suitably corny line worked out for his inevitable return, just to freak out everyone who witnessed his comeback.  
  
"Heeeeeeeeeear's MEGA!" he shouted gleefully as he tore the wreckage clean in two, laughing insanely for no one to hear.  
  
Rockman was back in the museum. Since it was on the Net, it was never closed, but it was kind of deserted, since it was midnight in Den town. Netto was asleep, but Rockman wanted to mull over the prophecy picture a bit more. He knew that Blues was around somewhere, but didn't feel like involving the red Navi in his speculations, since Blues had just been too depressing lately.  
  
So imagine his surprise when a voice from behind him broke the silence of the room. "It's a pretty picture, but it isn't THAT captivating."  
  
"I'm trying to figure out what it means, Blues," Rockman sighed, not even bothering to turn around.  
  
There was silence, and Rockman assumed the Blues had moved on. However, a quiet voice next to his ear nearly made him wet himself. "I'm insulted."  
  
Rockman whirled about and stared into the face of a Navi that had sworn to kill him at least three times. "FORTE! What . . . what are you DOING here?"  
  
"Well," the black Navi said, pretending to look at his nails, "I originally came here to kill you, but you seem to have found quite the interesting relic." Forte's tone was so nonchalant that it sent chills up and down Rockman's spine.  
  
"Don't toy with me, Forte . . ." Rockman stammered.  
  
"You know, ever since I awakened, the only thing I've ever thought about was trying to destroy you," Forte continued. "Ever since Gospel dragged me from the darkness inside of Alpha, all I've ever wanted was to see you die a slow, torturous death. You were all I could remember, and all I hated, but I took some time to think . . ." Forte mused, looking the old picture. "And now that I think about it, another name springs to the front of my mind. Someone I hated more than you." Forte turned to look at Rockman. "Do you know who that might be?"  
  
"Er . . . Serenade?" Rockman ventured.  
  
Forte looked at him for a while, and then tilted his head to the side. "No," he said in a confused tone. Obviously, the mention of the king of the Undernet had stirred some unexpected memory within Forte, but he quickly dismissed it. "No, no, no. The name I'm thinking of is . . . Megaman."  
  
Rockman gasped. "What? Wh . . . why bring that up now?"  
  
"Because he isn't dead."  
  
"WHAT? But we killed him! We blew him away and I reclaimed Saito.bat! He can't be alive, it isn't possible!" Rockman exclaimed.  
  
Blues was suddenly there, drawn by the noise. "Forte!" he shouted in surprise. "Shit!"  
  
Forte looked at the red Navi impassively. "Unfortunate person whose name escapes me for the moment," he said in mock surprise. "How have you been?"  
  
"Er . . . fine?" Blues tried. Then he collected himself. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Forte gave Blues an innocent look. "I'm just having a friendly chat with my blue friend here, and-"  
  
"Blues, Forte says Megaman's back!" Rockman burst out in a worried tone.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Tsk, tsk," Forte shook his head, "it's RUDE to interrupt!" He gave Rockman a solid punch in the face that knocked the blue Navi over. "Now then, where was I? AH, yes, Megaman. The only other name I remember. From what I can gather, he is alive, and on his way here."  
  
"Here . . .? Why?" Blues asked.  
  
Forte turned to look at the picture. "This, I believe."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I remember two names. Rockman and Megaman. But I also remember something of this legend . . ." Forte looked along the length of the picture. "Seeing it stirred a memory. It is not read in the normal manner, but rather in the opposite direction. Starting with . . . oh dear, the picture isn't complete . . ."  
  
Blues could only watch, dumbfounded, as the black, cloaked Navi began to doodle on the wall next to the picture. What he drew was a crude stick figure, and then three arrows that pointed to the three left-most figures.  
  
"Yes, that's better!" Forte said with a slight amount of satisfaction. He clapped his hands, and then pointed to his art. "From one source comes the Light, the Dark, and the Neutral. That's the three colors. These three must face the four guardians, the first of which can not be found without Dark to guide the way. Then, the trio must pass every guardian's test to be guided to the ultimate power. Only the Neutral may USE the power, however, because any other use of the power will tip the scales and create a wave that will destroy the world."  
  
Rockman slowly stood up. "What are you talking about? They already knew about that . . ."  
  
"Ah, yes, so I see," Forte said, looking at the translation. "But, unfortunately, they left out an important part. The wave that destroys the world will happen anyway."  
  
"What?" Rockman asked. "Then what's the point?"  
  
"Because with Light's guidance, the world can be saved from the wave of Armageddon." Forte nodded.  
  
"Deep," Blues whistled.  
  
"How do you KNOW all of this?" Rockman asked the black Navi, who simply smiled.  
  
"Because I am the herald of Armageddon, and I know when its time is nigh. And it is nigh-ing all over the place right now." Forte smiled.  
  
"What are you saying?" Rockman asked. "You're not making any sense."  
  
Forte got close to Rockman's face, smiling. "I'm saying that Megaman is coming, and he's going to help save the world." 


	4. Me, Myself, and the other Me

ROCKMAN EXE: Prophecy  
  
Navis don't die. They just get deleted. Granted, any Navi can be restored from backup data, should they actually have some, but it takes a long time and a lot of effort on the part of the operator.  
  
Some unfortunate, nameless Navi had no idea WHY he was thinking about this as he trotted his way toward the Netopia Square. It just seemed appropriate, for some reason. So focused was this nameless Navi on his task that he never even noticed the monstrosity behind him until it had wrapped an arm around his neck.  
  
"Hurk!" the Navi managed.  
  
"Well, well, well," a cracked, saneless voice whispered in his ear. "What have we here?" There was an ungodly, almost demonic chuckle as the Navi struggled in the iron-like grip. "A messenger? Yes . . ." The Navi felt the grip tighten around his neck. "Listen closely, little man. You will find Rockman, and you will tell him he has twelve hours to live, so he better get his affairs in order." The grip melted away, as did the figure, into the shadows. "Now run, run, run, as fast as you can," the voice continued with a note of insanity, "and don't let me catch you, because I'm Megaman!"  
  
Thoroughly frightened and a little confused, the nameless Navi ran away, screaming.  
  
"That's crazy!" Rockman exclaimed, backing away from Forte. "Megaman being alive, I can understand and believe, but saving the world? That's just crazy!"  
  
Forte gave Rockman a look that shook the blue Navi to his very core. "It may SOUND stupid, I agree, but I didn't write the rules, I just enforce them."  
  
"You know, I've said the same thing to him a few times, and he just doesn't seem to get it?" Blues told the black Navi. They both chuckled.  
  
Rockman gave Blues a dirty look. "That's not very nice," he told him.  
  
Suddenly a new noise drew their attention. There was a generic Navi running toward Rockman, shouting something about "You have to save me!"  
  
Rockman took a nervous step back, unsure of how to react as the Navi drew closer. "What?" he asked, "what am I supposed to save you from?"  
  
The Navi would have spoken in a hurried tone and told Rockman what to expect if the plasma bolt didn't tear through his chest at that moment. As the shot slammed into the ground, the Navi stopped and slumped onto his knees, unable to speak. There, grinning behind his latest victim with a smug look of satisfaction, stood Megaman.  
  
He looked much different from the last time Rockman had seen him. The hand- shaped scar still sat on his face, rendering one of his eyes useless. His lower arms and legs were covered in a sort of black coating that separated at the joints and gave the impression of armor. The rest of his body glowed a dull green. In the center of his chest, however, where a hole should have been (since Rockman distinctly remembered putting one there with Blues's assistance last time they met) was a regenerated symbol. Every Navi had a distinctive symbol somewhere on their person, and Megaman had obviously deemed it necessary to have his own, which bore a resemblance to Rockman's own emblem with a simple ninety degree turn to the right. A sickly mirror image of the real thing.  
  
"Megaman," Rockman growled, taking up a battle stance.  
  
Blues backed away from the evil Navi, holding his blade at the ready in case Megaman attacked. He could only too clearly remember the carnage Megaman had created the last time he'd been around.  
  
"Oh, put the sword away," Megaman spat at the Official. "I'm not here for you."  
  
"Then . . . what are you here for?" Rockman asked, dreading the answer.  
  
Megaman gave a snort. "You, of course. Why else would I come to this sorry museum?"  
  
Forte laughed at this point, unable to contain himself. Rockman and Megaman both gave him questioning looks. "What are YOU laughing at?" Rockman asked.  
  
Forte's laughing fit subsided and he gave Rockman a very calm look. "If you could get the macho posing over and done with already, we have much more important matters to attend to."  
  
"More important?" Megaman snorted, sounding insulted at the very idea. "What could possibly be more important that this?"  
  
"Well," Forte shrugged, "to an obsessed stalker with delusions of grandeur like yourself, I guess nothing, but to the rest of us, living just takes precedence."  
  
Blues laughed now. "Man, he just burned you something fierce. That's funny."  
  
Megaman glared at the red Navi. "Shut up," he growled.  
  
Rockman turned to Forte. "I still don't get what you're talking about. You say he's going to help me save the world, but that he's also out to kill me." The blue Navi tilted his head. "What the heck are you babbling about, Forte?"  
  
Forte swept an arm to the picture. "The prophecy, you moron!"  
  
"What?" Megaman asked.  
  
"Yeah, and how does that relate to me or him?" Rockman shot back, cutting the glowing Navi off.  
  
"Because the Dark, him, and the Gray, you, have come from the same source," Forte said.  
  
"What?" Megaman repeated.  
  
"But what about the light?" Rockman asked, still ignoring his evil counterpart. "How does THAT happen?"  
  
"I'm confident that the answer will present itself," Forte shrugged. "It always does."  
  
"What?" Megaman persisted.  
  
"You can't leave the fate of the world to dumb luck like that!" Rockman cried.  
  
"Of course we can," Blues cut in. "We've let you save the world a bunch of times, haven't we?"  
  
"Oh, ha, ha, ha," Rockman shot at the red Navi sarcastically. "I'll have you know—"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Megaman roared, finally fed up with being ignored. "I came for one thing and one thing only, and that is Saito.bat! SOUL SPLITTER!"  
  
Forte looked at Megaman. "What the . . .?"  
  
Blues realized what was gong on. "Wait, isn't that Laserman's ability?"  
  
"It WAS!" Megaman cried as Rockman collapsed, screaming out in pain. "Now it is MINE! As is Saito.bat and the entire FREAKIN' WORLD!"  
  
Rockman tried to stand up, but he was in just too much pain. He felt like his entire body was on fire as his Soul was being forcibly pulled from his body. He tried to fight back, tried to stop it from happening, but Megaman had caught him by complete surprise.  
  
Then, in a complete unexpected moment, Netto cut in, his voice echoing from the air itself. "Rockman! 100% Synchro, EXECUTE!"  
  
A note about Synchronization: it can only be used under a) dire circumstances where the Navi will surely die without the added firepower (as Synchro doubles the power of all attacks used by the Navi) or b) when the Navi and operator have destroyed enough enemies together that their minds begin to work on the same level, binding them together.  
  
You can guess which situation this is.  
  
But something strange happened. In the flash of light that denoted Rockman's synchronization with Netto, Rockman's body suddenly became TWO bodies. One was coloredthe standard blue, while the other was the brighter, greener colors of the synchronization phase.  
  
As both Rockmen picked themselves up from the floor, Blues was the first to speak. "Uh, Rockman?"  
  
"Yes Blues?" they said in tandem. And then they noticed each other. "AHHH!"  
  
Forte clapped his hands. "HA! I knew it would work out."  
  
Megaman, still thoroughly confused, glared at Forte. "What happened? What did you do?"  
  
Forte grinned. "I did nothing. You're the one that brought out the Light. Now there is Rockman, Megaman, and Saito."  
  
The lighter Rockman looked at himself, and then at the blue Rockman. "I . . . I AM Saito. I look just like I did back during the Gospel incident when I had Saito Style! So that means . . ." he looked at the blue Rockman.  
  
"That I am Rockman . . ." the blue Navi hung his head. "And I'm not Saito anymore."  
  
"Er . . ." Blues began, drawing their attention, "excuse me, but . . . how is this possible?"  
  
Forte spoke first. "Megaman's Soul Splitter did indeed separate Saito.bat from Rockman's systems, but what he didn't take into account is that it would create a Navi from the data it separated."  
  
"Just like it did before?" Rockman asked.  
  
"Not quite," Megaman admitted. "There never was a physical manifestation of your Dark Soul. That was me, biding my time and taking the opportunity to fight you. I also possessed Aquaman and Gutsman with an ability that Laserman had taught me, but he never expected me to steal his Soul Splitter. I guess he had rather played mind games with you."  
  
Rockman paused to think about this, but Saito interrogated Forte. "So, I guess I'm the Light, now, huh?"  
  
"It appears so," Forte smiled. "And I suggest you find the first guardian, because now that you are all here, the clock just started ticking."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Megaman demanded.  
  
Forte chuckled. "You three must work together to destroy the four guardians and obtain the ultimate power and stop the wave of Armageddon. Plain, simple prophecy, my friend."  
  
"Ultimate power?" Megaman mused. "Hmm . . . I guess I could work with these tow if it meant ultimate power."  
  
"You mean I have to actually work with him?" Saito complained.  
  
"To save the world?" Forte asked. Then he grinned. "Yeah, pretty much."  
  
"Oh, man, this sucks," Saito said.  
  
"Yeah, shut up," Rockman groaned. "I'M the one who got screwed here. YOU," he said, pointing at Saito, "took all my power ups. AGAIN!"  
  
"Er, yeah, sorry about that."  
  
"So a completely evil Navi, a weakling Rockman, and a Rockman clone with an identity crisis are off to save the world? On the word of Forte, who, and lets be fair to him, doesn't have all of his marbles anymore?" Blues asked the crowed in general.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much," Rockman nodded.  
  
"Oh, great. Problem solved then," Blues sighed.  
  
"Translation: We're SO dead," Forte clapped his hands with glee. 


	5. Of three minds about directions

RCOKMAN EXE: Prophecy  
  
"Okay, I guess I understand WHY we have to work together," Rockman whined, "but why do we have to WALK? Seriously? Couldn't we just hit a link or something? You guys are supposed to be all powerful incarnations of Light and Dark, for crying out loud!"  
  
This particular rant of Rockman's had been going on for about an hour. He was walking through the Net with Saito and Megaman, a little behind the pair that were side by side. They merely looked at each other.  
  
"I'm going to kill him if he says it," Megaman growled.  
  
Rockman sighed, having completely missed what Megaman had said. "Are we there yet?" he continued to complain.  
  
"THAT DOES IT!" Megaman screamed, wheeling about to face his blue counterpart. He was just about to leap when Saito hit him in the back of the head with a Zeus Hammer. Megaman went down hard from the unexpected attack, and got up whining more than Rockman was. "What'd you do THAT for?"  
  
"Mostly to keep you in line," Saito sighed, continuing through the Net, "but also because it was funny."  
  
Rockman, however, continued on as if nothing had happened. "Seriously, though, how are we going to FIND these guardians? Forte was too bonkers to give us clear directions, and the Prophecy itself never mentioned anything about location."  
  
Saito sighed once more. "Look, we told you before, we have an innate sense of direction for this whole prophecy thing. Megaman and I know the way, so if you'll just, you know, shut up, so that we can concentrate, then we'll get there that much faster. Okay?"  
  
"Fine," Rockman grumbled, pouting like a small child. Megaman rolled his eyes.  
  
"Why the hell am I part of this mess?" he groaned.  
  
Blues and Forte had been shadowing the three Navis for some time now. It had been easy to go unnoticed, since Megaman, Saito and Rockman were constantly bickering about SOMETHING or another. Blues looked at Forte.  
  
"You realize that this is the third time we've been down this particular path, right?" he asked the black Navi beside him.  
  
"Yes," Forte nodded.  
  
"And that they're LOST, right?" Blues continued.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much," Forte nodded again.  
  
"And that the fate of existence rests on their shoulders, right?" Blues went on.  
  
"Are you getting at something?" Forte asked.  
  
"YES!" Blues cried. "How the hell are they supposed to save the world if they can't even find their way out of the Den Town Net?"  
  
Forte turned to Blues. "Look, what do you want me to do about it, huh?" he growled. "I can't just give them straight directions, I have to be all cryptic and stuff. Don't blame ME, I'm just doing my job."  
  
"Fine," Blues sighed. They continued following the three not-so-coordinated heroes for a while.  
  
"We're all going to die, aren't we?" Blues asked calmly.  
  
"More or less," Forte shrugged.  
  
"Okay. Just wanted to know. You know, so I'm not surprised by it, when it happens."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They continued on, the three Navis ahead of them arguing once more.  
  
"I'm telling you, we have to go left," Saito said.  
  
"No! We have to go RIGHT!" Megaman shouted.  
  
"We went right LAST time," Saito told him.  
  
"Yeah, and we went left the three times before that," Megaman growled.  
  
"Er . . ." Rockman mumbled, looking at his companions. "I though you guys had a direction sense, thingy . . ."  
  
"NO, I just told you that to shut you up," Saito sighed, rolling his eyes.  
  
Megaman laughed. "And you're supposed to be the Light side."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Blues looked at Forte. "Hey, I just remembered that I have something I have to do, so I'm going to go away now . . ."  
  
"Fine. Do what you want," Forte said.  
  
"Okay," Blues said. "Er . . . bye!"  
  
In a flash of light, Blues was gone. Forte grinned to himself. "Well," he sighed, "if the world is going to end, I might as well take care of something. Watching the three stooges isn't going to help matters any. It's in their hands now."  
  
Without another word, Forte, too, vanished.  
  
Two hours later . . .  
  
"FINALLY," Megaman cried as they stepped into the murk of the Undernet. "I thought we'd NEVER get here!"  
  
"Shut up. I told you we should go right," Saito said.  
  
"But you said—"  
  
"Shut up Rockman."  
  
Rockman crossed his arms. Between his insane, green glowing dark side Megaman, and his high and mighty light side Saito, it was becoming very difficult to get ANYTHING at all done.  
  
"So, if Forte's directions were correct, we just have to find the four shrines, all of which were connected to the Undernet," Saito said thoughtfully.  
  
"But I've never even heard of the shrines let alone seen them," Rockman said. "Where could they be that we haven't been?"  
  
"Perhaps they appeared as soon as the prophecy was set in motion," Saito said, looking around. "If we just search a bit for them . . ."  
  
"You guys do that," Megaman said, "I'm going to catch a nap."  
  
Rockman and Saito rolled their eyes.  
  
Serenade opened his eyes and turned in the air.  
  
"I knew you'd return someday," he stated.  
  
"Yeah. Funny how that happens," Forte returned.  
  
Serenade lowered himself to the ground from his pillar of meditation. "I already know why you are here. You wish to finish what we started so long ago."  
  
"Of course. The world is coming to an end. I might as well have this off my mind," Forte shrugged.  
  
"I don't get it," Serenade said, looking at the black Navi. "I thought you had lost all of your memory after being absorbed by Alpha. I thought I might never see you again."  
  
Forte barked a laugh. "I did lose my memory for a short time, but during the Battle Chip Grand Prix, I encountered someone who stirred up my memory a bit, and I remembered you."  
  
"That odd Navi, Ring, correct?" Serenade asked.  
  
"Bingo," Forte grinned. "Something about the girly way she attacked me reminded me so much of you. After that, I knew what I was and what I had to do, and that all of this was going to happen soon, but I couldn't do anything about it. So I acted insane. It was really the only way people would take me seriously, if you'll believe it," Forte sighed. "Being the Dark Messiah is tough."  
  
Serenade chuckled. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm almost glad you're here."  
  
"Really?" Forte asked skeptically.  
  
"Well, yes," Serenade said. Then he sighed and cast his gaze over the secret server where he dwelled. "It'll give me a sense of having finished everything before it all goes to hell."  
  
"We both know they'll never make it. Even if they beat the four guardians, you're brother is simply too smart to be killed off before time runs out. And without defeating him, everything will end."  
  
"Yes," Serenade said. "I'll be free of this accursed form at last. After being stuck in this plane as a Navi, I can finally go home. I can finally see my mother and father again."  
  
Forte and Serenade stood there in a sort of awkward silence.  
  
"Your . . . parents?" Forte asked, eventually.  
  
Serenade chuckled again. "It's a very long story, but I have all the time in the world to tell it. Do you wish to know something . . . secret, Forte?"  
  
The very air around the two Navis rippled and Forte's gaze spun wildly about the area. Then he calmed down as he realized it was an illusion. A flashback.  
  
As images of the real world came into focus, Forte's features went pale. This entire thing was a whole lot deeper than he'd originally thought. 


End file.
